Serving NW Alaska and the Russian Far East, this is KOTZ Kotzebue!
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

1 missing, 4 safe after boat capsizes near Noorvik

An aerial view of Noorvik, Alaska.
Northwest Arctic Borough
An undated aerial view of Noorvik, Alaska.

A boater is missing near the Northwest Arctic community of Noorvik after a craft capsized on Monday night, Alaska State Troopers say.

According to an online dispatch, the boat was carrying five people on the Kobuk River north of Noorvik. After it capsized, four of them were able to contact locals by VHF radio for help, but 30-year-old Brandon Sheldon from the nearby village of Kiana was unaccounted for.

Dozens of volunteers from Noorvik and nearby communities responded, as well as search and rescue teams from the Northwest Arctic Borough. The search for Sheldon is ongoing.

Desiree Hagen is KOTZ's News Director. She's worked in Alaska public radio for over a decade, previously as a reporter in Homer and Bethel. She also enjoys spinning records. Contact her via email at news@kotz.org or (907) 442-NEWS during KOTZ business hours.
Related Content
  • According to an online dispatch troopers, deputy state fire marshals and village public safety officers responded Wednesday to reports of a fire in Noorvik, a community of about 650 people roughly 45 miles east of Kotzebue. The remains of six individuals were found at the scene.